Chapter 3, Lesson 3 Mrs. Legro’s 6th Grade Social Studies Life in Sumer Chapter 3, Lesson 3 Mrs. Legro’s 6th Grade Social Studies

Objectives Describe the key features of Sumerian society. Describe the major technological advance of the Sumerian people Explain the Sumerian role in the development of written language.

Sumerian Society Social Classes A group of people with similar customs, backgrounds, training and income. A division into several social groups or classes. Kings & Priests Landowners, government officials, rich merchants Farmers and Artisans Slaves

Kings & Priests A link to the Gods = Great influence over the people

Slaves Taken as prisoners during war Death of Sumerian parents Very poor Sumerian parents Borrowed more money than he/she could repay Slaves had rights Could conduct business Borrow money Buy their freedom

Role of Women All social classes included women. Women in early Sumer had more rights than they did in later Mesopotamia. Upper-class women became priestesses (role of honor). Free women could own land and work as merchants and artisans. The main role was to raise their children.

Why Were Kings and priests in the highest class? They believed the have a link to the gods, which gave them great influence over people.

Sumerian Science and Technology What tools did the Sumerians invent? The plow (about 6000 B.C.) The Wheel (about 3500 B.C.) The potter’s wheel

What was the Benefit of these tools? The Plow Broke up hard soil Made planting easier The Wheel Wagons to transport goods Potter’s Wheel Could make pottery faster First important tool invented to help farmers First, they were pulled or pushed by people, and then animals Wheels helped farmers transport their goods to the market. Pots were important storage containers for surplus food

Other Technologies… Bronze Math Sumerians were the first people to use A mixture of copper and tin Stronger than copper Tools lasted longer and stayed sharper Became another item Sumerians could trade Math Developed to keep records of crops and trade goods Number system based on the number 60 Used a triangle and measuring rope to set land boundaries Understood geometric shapes

How did new tools make life better for the Sumerians? The plow made planting easier. The wheel helped people transport things faster. The potter’s wheel made pottery making faster. Bronze tools lasted longer and stayed sharper.

How did the Sumerians invent writing? The began by using symbols called pictographs to keep track of trade goods. In time, these symbols began to stand for ideas as well as objects. Later, they began to use symbols made of wedges and lines instead of pictures. This is called cuneiform

Written language Invented writing by 3000 B.C. Met business needs Label goods Picture Writing Clay tokens with an image Pictographs: picture writing Pictographs were eventually used for sounds as well as objects Sounds and objects allowed for the writing of more words

Written Language Cuneiform Wedge-shaped writing using symbols (not pictures) Used a sharpened reed called a stylus to press markings into a clay tablet Very complex writing system Sumerian language contained about 600 different symbols People who specialized in writing were called scribes It took years to learn all of the different symbols, therefore, very few people could read or write.

Why were scribes highly respected in Sumer? They were the most highly educated people in the society and performed an important function.

Lesson summary Sumerian society had several classes. Kings and priests were at the top and slaves were at the bottom. Inventions, such as the plow and wheel, and mathematical knowledge improved Sumerian life. The Sumerians created a system of writing to record business transactions and histories.

Can you answer the following? Describe the key features of Sumerian society. Describe the major technological advance of the Sumerian people Explain the Sumerian role in the development of written language.